Retainer for garment cuffs



March 17, 1953 J. J. LOCKETT 2,631,291

RETAINER FOR GARMENT CUFFS Filed Sept. 19, 1950 INVENTOR.

G 7 I John J.L ocke fit.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RETAINER FOR GARMENT corrs John J. Lockett, Endicott, N. Y.

Application September 19, 1950, Serial No. 185,618

7 Claims.

This invention relates to retainers for garment cuffs; and, more particularly, to retainers for maintaining intended relationships between loosefitting cuffs of shirts and other garments and the limbs of the wearers.

It is common practice to provide shirts and other garments with sleeves or pant legs (as the case may be) which are loosely fitting, both from considerations of appearance and for providing ventilation between the sleeve and the limb of the wearer.

The cuffs of such loosely fitting sleeves frequently tend to work up to an undesirable extent under an enclosing coat sleeve.

In order to further contribute to the comfort of the wearer, it is desirable that lengths of sleeves shall be substantially in excess of the minimum which is necessary for permitting desired positionings of the cuffs while the limb of the wearer is straight.

In the use of such overlength sleeves, the cuffs tend, at times, to work down to an undesirable extent over the hands of the wearers.

Various expedients have been employed for the purposes of preventing cuffs from working up or down. For such purposes, elastic bands have been applied outside of the sleeves; especially for keeping the cufis from dropping down too far. Such bands tend to impair blood circulation of the user and interfere with ventilation between the sleeve and the arm of the wearer and are otherwise considered undesirable.

It is an important purpose of this invention to provide means for maintaining such cuffs in desired relationships with the limbs of the wearers, without thereby constricting the clearance therebetween, and without distorting or diminishing the outline of the cuff.

Other objects are to provide a retainer having the desired characteristics which will be simple and economical in production, and which is susceptible of embodiment in forms which can be readily incorporated in cuffs during process of manufacture or can be conveniently applied to existing cuiis,

An illustrative form of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a shirt cufi embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cufi of Fig. 1, with the retaining strap ends in attached relationship;

Fig. 3 is a view looking into the lower end of the cufi, showing the parts as positioned when applied to the wrist of a wearer;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fi 3, showing an alternative embodiment of the invention in which snap fastener are utilized for attaching the retaining straps to the cuffs.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a buckle connection between the ends of a strap similar to the straps of Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the invention, in which the retaining strap passes through slits in the cuff, instead of being attached as in the embodiment of Figs. 1, 2 and 4; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail showing the relationship between the cuff and the retaining strap of Fig. 6.

In the embodiment of this invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a retaining strap l is attached to the cufi 2 by means of the stitched seams 3, 3.

Although two seams are shown, it will be understood by those skilled in this art that but one seam might be used, or that more than two seams might be used. In any event, only a minor portion of the length of the strap I should be attached to the cuff 2.

The strap 1 is equipped with facilities for adjusting it to a wrist or an ankle of the wearer; as by the use of the snap fasteners 4, 4, near respective ends thereof,

As indicated in Fig. 4, one or more snap fasteners, such as the fastener 3' may be utilized for attaching the strap I to the cuff, in place of the seams 3, 3 shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Instead of utilizing snap fasteners 4 for adjustably connecting the ends of strap l shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the ends of similar straps I" may be adjustably connected by use of a friction buckle; such, for example, as the buckle 4 shown in Fig. 5.

In the embodiment of this invention shown in Figs. 6 and '7, substantially parallel slits 5, 5 are provided in the cufi, at least through the inner layer of the fabric, and the retaining strap l' is inserted through these slits 5, 5, as best shown in Fig. 7

As in the case of the seams of stitching 3, 3 of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the slits 5, 5 should be at such distance, one from the other, that a major portion of the length of the strap I' will extend beyond these slits in one direction and the other.

In use, the retaining strap I, I, I or I' (as the case may be) is so adjusted as to prevent undesirable movement up or down the wrist or ankle of the wearer (as the case may be) while not seizing the limb with sufflcient tightness to impair circulation or otherwise cause inconvenience or discomfort to the wearer. The parts are then relatively positioned as indicated in Fig. 2.

The cuff is then folded around the limb of the wearer and secured in position in a usual manner, as by applying the button 6 through the buttonhole 7; thereby tobring the parts in the relative positionings shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In the use of the embodiment of this invention shown in Fig. 4, straps such as I may be applied to the cufis, and in the use of cuffs such as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, straps such as 1 may be inserted in cuffs, at the time the associated shirt is to be worn, and may be later transferred to the cuffs of another shirt. 7

It will be evident to those skilled in this art that the forms, proportions and arrangements' of" the parts shown in the accompanyingdrawing may be varied without departing from this-invention, as defined by the annexed claims I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States of America:

1. The combination of a cuff, a strap within said-cuff, said strap being of a form suitedfor providing an encircling band around a limb of a wearer, means for interconnecting the ends of said strap, and means for attaching only a minor portion of the length of said-strap toonly such minor-portion of theinterior surface of said cuff that the application of longitudinal tension to said strap will result in no change in the circumference of said cuff.

2. In combination with a garment-cuff, a retaining, strap within saidcufi, said strap of a form suited for providing an encircling band around a wrist of a wearer, means permitting variations in the effective length of such band, and means for attaching said strap to said cuff, said attaching means applied only to such minor portions of the circumferences of said band and ofsaidcuff as to render a major portion of the lengthof said strap disposable within and out of contact with the interior surface of said cufi when bothsaid strap. and said cufi are in service positionings.

3. In combination with a garment-cuff, aretaining strap within said cuff, said strap of a form suited for providing an encircling band around a limb of a wearer, means permitting variationsin the effective length of such band, and attaching means for detachably associating said strap with said cuff, said attaching means involving. only av minor circumferential portion of said cuff, a.

major portion of the length of said strap being disposable within'and out of contact with the.

interior surface of said cuff.

4. In combination withagarment-cuff, a. re-.

taming strap situated wholly within said cuff,

said strap of a form suited for providing-an encircling band around a limb of a wearer, means permitting variations in the effective length of said band, and a group of closely positioned adjacent seams attaching only a minor portion of the length of said strap to only a minor portion of the interior surface of said cuff, said seams disposed substantially transversely of the circumference of said cuff.

5. The combination of a garment-cuff formed of apluralityof layers of fabric; theiinner surface of said cuff having a pair' of spaced, substantially parallel slits through at least one of said layers, and a strap passing through said slits and of a form suited for providing an encircling band around a limb of a wearer, the spacing between said slits such that application of circumferential tension to said strap Will cause no distortion or diminishing of the circumferential outline of said cuff lwhile rendering a major portion of the length of said strap disposable? within and out of contact with the interiorsurface-of said cufi.

6. The combination of a garment-cuff havingra pair of closely spaced slits through the inner surface thereof, a straptof a form suited for encircling the limb of a wearer and equipped with means-for interconnecting the ends. thereof, said strap. situated wholly within said cuff and passing through one and the. other of said slits ina manner such that amajor portion of the length vof said strap is disposablewithinand out of contact,

with the interior surface of said'cuff;

7. The combination of a garment-cuff having a pair, of closely spaced. slits throughtthe inner surface thereof, a strap of a. form suited forencircling the limbof a wearer, .said' strap situated wholly within said cuff and passing through one and the-other of said slits-in a manner suchv that a major portion of the length of said strap is disposable out of contact with. the interior surface of said cuff, and snap fasteners for adjustably securingthe ends .of said strap, one to the other, in diverse relationships. I

JOHN J. LOCKETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES' PATENTS 

